Upside Down
by betaotaku
Summary: Sasuke's life is about to be turned upside down by a blonde little new transferee and he has no idea what's happening to him. Rated T for language and theme. SasuNaru. AU. A bit OOC.
1. Chapter 1: Introduction

Summary: Sasuke's life is about to be turned upside down by a blonde little new transferee and he has no idea what's happening to him.

A/N: This is my very first story! Hahahahaha I only have a vague idea of where to go with this story, so it's definitely not a one-shot. Reviews are very very very much welcome! The pace is a little slow but it'll be worth it (I hope) in the end. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fan ** _fiction_**.

It was a regular day in high school. The sun was out, people were going about their usual business, and everything seemed normal. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Soon, the bell rang and students started filing into their respective classrooms, their buzz dying to a low hum. Sasuke was in his usual seat at the back of the classroom, annoyed at the people whom he thought were too noisy this early in the morning.

"Good morning, Sasuke-kun~!" Two girls cooed to him at the same time. "Hey, get out of the way, you ugly bitch!" The pink haired girl said to the other. " _You_ get out of the way, you thick fore-headed fatty!" The blonde retaliated. Sasuke winced. _'It's too early for this.'_ he thought. He ignored both of them and the two girls continued to bicker until both of them got to their seats.

It was an ordinary day. Their teacher was late as usual, and so Sasuke just sat there reading his book, not minding anyone else in the classroom. Twenty minutes had passed and there was still no sign of the teacher. _'Wow. This is pretty late even for him. Why was he allowed to teach again?'_ Sasuke sighed. Just then, the door to their classroom slid open, and a very sleepy teacher came in. "Good morning, class." The white-haired man said. "Good morning, Kakashi-sensei." The whole class chimed. _'It's about damn time.'_ Sasuke thought. "Today we're going to meet a new classmate of yours who just transferred in this morning." The teacher said, while the classroom started to buzz with excitement and curiosity. "Make sure to make him feel welcome. Come on in," The teacher directed his voice to the door. The door slid open and a boy with outrageously blonde hair and a wide smile walked in. He was, simply put, gorgeous. The whole class went quiet as they took in the blonde in front of them. "This is Naruto-kun." The teacher told the class. "Go on and introduce yourself to the class," he added to the boy. "Hi. My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I just moved here so I don't really know much about the city. Hope you guys can show me around!" Naruto said, then flashing the whitest and most genuine smile anyone had ever seen.

"Now, Naruto-kun. Where would you like to take a seat?" The teacher asked lazily. "Oh, anywhere's fine, sensei!" The blonde boy beamed. "Then why don't you go and take the free one beside Sasuke-kun? He's the one sulking over there by the window at the back." The teacher replied. "And Sasuke-kun, don't forget to take care of Naruto-kun, okay?" The teacher added. At the sound of his name, Sasuke looked up. He hadn't really been paying attention to what was happening- he ignored the noise after he heard the words "new classmate" from their teacher. He really couldn't care less. All of his classmates were annoying, and this guy was no exception.

He looked towards his teacher and his heart nearly stopped. Approaching him was this blonde boy who had a caramel-colored tan, and the whitest teeth he'd seen. Now, Sasuke didn't really swing that way- as a matter of fact, he didn't swing _any_ way. Romance was something that he didn't bother himself with, but this blonde boy that walked closer made his stomach do a little flip, and he had no idea why.

"Hi! I'm Naruto." The tan boy smiled a heart-melting smile. Sasuke caught his breath and composed himself. "Hn." The raven replied. "You must be Sasuke-kun. Nice to meet you!" The blonde boy continued. "Yeah." Sasuke mumbled. _'What the hell is happening to me?'_ Sasuke mentally slapped himself. He was thinking of talking more with the newbie while still keeping his cool, but he was interrupted by the myriad of people suddenly crowding the boy. "Hi Naruto-kun!" A bunch of girls squealed. "Hey, girls." He smiled sheepishly. All the girls swooned. Sasuke squinted his eyes at the annoying girls. "Hey, hey you wouldn't be trying to steal all the girls from us, now would you?" A boy with messy brown hair said loudly. "Of course not. Why would I do that?" Naruto laughed. It was a beautiful heartfelt laugh. Sasuke felt his stomach flip again when he heard Naruto's laugh. _'Holy shit this guy is dangerous.'_ he thought to himself.

"'Sup Naruto. The name is Kiba." The brown-haired boy continued. "Hey Kiba!" Naruto smiled. "Damn Naruto you gotta stop blinding me with your teeth, man! Are those for real?" Kiba said while covering his eyes, acting temporarily blind. "Of course they are, what are you even talking about?" Naruto laughed, again. Sasuke's stomach flipped, again. Sasuke glared at the two boys laughing about. He didn't like all this flipping his stomach did. Perhaps it was something he ate this morning. Either way, he was annoyed. "Oh hey Sasuke, what's wrong?" Naruto asked, concern on his face. Sasuke was about to answer but Kiba cut him off. "Oh don't worry about him. He regularly looks as if he has a stick up his ass." The brunette laughed while receiving Sasuke's signature glare.

Naruto simply smiled at Sasuke, and the raven's stomach did that annoying thing again. _'Oh God this has got to stop. What the hell is wrong with me?!'_ Sasuke turned away and pretended to busy himself as their first period teacher came in. It was math with Iruka. "Okay, okay. Settle down it's time for class." Iruka-sensei said. The other students made their way to their seats as Sakura, the pink haired girl from this morning said to the teacher, "Iruka-sensei, we have a new student. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, he's a transfer student who just moved here. He's that blonde guy seated next to the perfect one and only Uchiha Sasuke." She huffed as she said the entire thing in one breath. "Well. Thank you for doing that, Sakura-san but next time please let the new student introduce himself. You're all high school students now, for Christ's sake." He turned to Naruto. "Nice to meet you Naruto-kun. My name is Umino Iruka and I'm going to be your math teacher. I hope we get along." He smiled. Naruto beamed at him, flashing his perfect white teeth saying, "The pleasure is all mine, sensei!" Everyone's cheeks were tinted with a light shade of pink with the boy's heart-melting display.

"All right then, let's begin class." Iruka said while writing some stuff on the board. _'Finally, things will be back to normal.'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

He had never been more wrong.

It was lunch time and everyone was in the cafeteria talking. Everyone from class already formed a circle around Naruto, talking, joking, and trying to get to know him better. He entertained them with ease. He was a natural people person. Unlike some raven-haired boy who got his meals and proceeded to get to a small table when he suddenly heard his name being called. "-suke!" Sasuke stopped walking and turned around. "Sasuke! Are you eating by yourself? Why don't you stay here at our table with us!" Naruto grinned. "Naruto, what are you saying? Sasuke-kun _never_ eats with anyone else. He likes to be alone!" The blonde girl from this morning, Ino, said while making fluttering noises. "Oh.. Really?" Naruto said with a small smile. _'Is it just me or does he look... a little bit disappointed?_ ' Sasuke then slowly walked towards the new student, took the free seat beside him, and started eating his lunch. His feet moved of their own accord. Everyone else at the table just stared open-mouthed at what they saw. Uchiha Sasuke, _the_ Uchiha Sasuke, is sitting with them at their table. "Oh, he wanted to sit with us after all!" Naruto flashed a big smile then sat down beside the raven-haired boy and continued talking to his other friends. The other people just stared as they all thought the same thing, _'Is the world coming to an end?'_ Sakura and Ino got out of their shocked state and started fighting each other over who could sit at Sasuke's other side. ' _What am I doing? Here, of all places?'_ Sasuke silently sighed, never giving away to his classmates what he was thinking. He sneaked a peek at his side, seeing Naruto talking animatedly with the other people at the table. Then Naruto laughed at something Kiba said and immediately Sasuke felt his stomach do a flip again. _'Man. Whatever I ate must've been really bad. This has been happening all day. Guess I'll just ask Itachi later on tonight.'_ Sasuke just shrugged it off and continued to eat his lunch silently.

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful, just a couple more introductions from Naruto to their other teachers. Finally, the final bell rang, signifying the end of the day. Everyone gathered their stuff and started chatting with each other. "Hey Sasuke, are you free today? Wanna hang out?" Sasuke heard the blonde boy beside him ask. He was just about to answer "yeah" when a couple of girls from their class along with some other girls from a different class came up to Naruto and squealed "Naruto-kuuuun~! Can you come with us today? We'd like to introduce you to our other friends. We can even have cake later!" Naruto was about to apologize to the girls when he felt a small book tap at his back. It was Sasuke. "It's okay, I don't really feel that well to hang out anyway. Go with them instead." Sasuke said. "Are you sure? Want me to go with you to the infirmary or something?" Naruto asked, eyes full of concern. _'Were his eyes always that blue?'_ "Yeah, I'm fine. Bye." Sasuke said. Naruto smiled apologetically then proceeded to leave with the girls. All of them squealed and clung to his arms, trying to look cute.

 _'Girls are so annoying. Especially those kinds of girls. Ugh._ ' Sasuke thought to himself. But there was something else he was feeling, something aside from the usual annoyance. What was it? Disappointment? Wait-what? What was he disappointed at? Was it because he hadn't hung out with Naruto? Then his stomach did another flip and this time was accompanied by a slight pain in the chest. _'Nah, that can't be. I'm really just not feeling that well today. I'll just head straight home.'_ Sasuke made his way to his house, unaware that life was going to be a lot different than what he was used to.


	2. Chapter 2: In denial

A/N: Here's chapter 2! I decided that what I wrote yesterday was too short and didn't really have much of a plot, so I went ahead and started on chapter 2. That chapter was meant to be an introduction anyway, so it pretty much served its purpose. Again, reviews are very much welcomed! I really would like to hear from you guys. Thanks and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fan ** _fiction_**.

* * *

"I'm home." Sasuke called out as he closed the door to his house and started taking off his shoes. "Welcome home, little brother." His older brother Itachi popped his head out the kitchen. "How was school?" The older of the two asked. "Fine." Sasuke mumbled as he made his way to the kitchen. "You're home early today." Sasuke continued. "Yes, well I've got to spend more time with my favorite little brother before I graduate, haven't I?" Itachi chuckled. "I'm your _only_ little brother." Sasuke again mumbled. "What was that?" Itachi smiled knowingly. "Nothing." Sasuke replied. "Oh, Itachi. I have a question." He continued. "What is it, little brother?" Itachi replied. "My stomach was a little weird today.." The younger boy continued. "Hmm?" Itachi pressed for him to continue.

"Well, it's been doing sort of flips at irregular times. I haven't eaten anything unusual today, so I was wondering if you might know what the cause of this is?" _'Since you ARE a medical student.'_ Sasuke added. "When did you start feeling these 'flips'? Are you feeling nauseous?" Itachi asked him. "I'm actually feeling fine right now. The first time it happened was when this new classmate of ours started walking towards me." Sasuke answered truthfully. "Did every other occurrence of this 'flipping' happen when you were around said new classmate?" Itachi continued to ask. "Yeah." _'How did he know? Is he really that good? He IS an Uchiha after all.'_ Sasuke thought. Right then, Itachi smirked. "Sounds like my little brother finally has a crush." "WHAT?!" Sasuke shouted. "What the hell are you saying, Itachi?!" He glared at Itachi. His older brother just laughed at him. "What you're feeling isn't caused by any physical pain. It's simply butterflies caused by an emotional trigger- a crush." Itachi continued to smile at him. It was getting annoying. "But I don't _have_ crushes." Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "What's wrong with that? Having a crush is totally normal. Especially at your age." Itachi answered calmly and logically. "So? Who's the lucky girl?" The older raven added. "That's just it. It's- It's- It's a _boy_." Sasuke stuttered, looking incredulous.

" _Oh._ " Itachi smiled knowingly. Sasuke was getting more and more flustered by the minute. "I'm sure that isn't a problem. You know, when I was your age-" Itachi was cut off by his younger brother. "AAAGHH! I don't wanna hear it!" Sasuke stormed out of the kitchen, muttering under his breath. He really didn't want to hear of his older brother's love life with his high school sweetheart and current boyfriend, Deidara. He left his older brother there chuckling. The little raven was too easy to figure out.

 _'This can't be. This CANNOT be. I don't have a freaking crush! Especially not on that.. that.. dobe!'_ Sasuke was starting to get mad. At whom, he didn't know, but he was definitely pissed off. _'There must be something I can do to prove to Itachi- and myself- that I do not have crushes.'_ He went into his room and immediately locked the door. He turned on his laptop and opened Google Chrome. He quickly typed in "How to know if you have a crush" and opened the first article that appeared. It was a wikihow page. _'Seems trustable enough.'_ He thought. "3 Ways to Know if You Have a Crush on a Guy" it said. He started reading it.

 _"Method 1: Notice What You Think._

 _Sign 1: If you think you have a crush on him, you probably do. If you're asking yourself whether you have a crush on a guy and care enough to do some research on the topic, then chances are, you probably do. You may be second-guessing yourself because the guy is an old friend, or an unlikely target for your affection, or because you're just plain confused."_

Sasuke stopped right there. Just because he was actually doing exactly what this article said doesn't mean he really has a crush on Naruto. No, he was doing this research precisely to prove that he _didn't_ have a crush on that blonde, blue-eyed boy. Sasuke shook his head. He read the rest of the article, memorized some of the signs, and turned off his laptop. He laid down on his bed just staring at the dark ceiling. _'See. I don't have a crush on him.'_ Sasuke thought to himself.

"Sasuke! It's time for dinner." He heard Itachi call. "Coming!" He answered. They ate dinner quietly, as usual. Sasuke was too busy thinking of what he had just read and was thinking of ways to test them out the next day. It wasn't like he talked with his brother much anyway. Their conversation earlier was already probably three nights' worth of talking for the two brothers. Uchihas aren't people who talk their feelings out. No, they solve whatever their problems are by themselves. They will not be seen as weaklings who need help. Itachi discreetly observed his little brother, seeing him eating so concentratedly made the older draw a conclusion as to what his little brother might be doing. The older boy chuckled to himself. _'You are too easy to read, little brother.'_

The Next Day

Sasuke woke up at 6am as usual, took a shower as usual, and ate a piece of toast for breakfast, as usual. It seemed like a regular day, and Sasuke was back to his normal self. He said his goodbyes to his brother, and made his way to school. As he was walking to school and just quietly thinking to himself, a blonde, tan face with blue eyes and a smile with perfectly white teeth popped up in his mind. Sasuke stopped walking. _'What was that? Did I just think of Naruto? Nah, it's probably because he's the most recent "addition" to my regular life, that's all. It's nothing special.'_ Sasuke dismissed his sudden thought of the boy and continued walking to school.

It wasn't similar to his daily commute though. Every time he saw the colors yellow (or anything that resembled blonde), caramel, blue, and even white, the face would pop into his head. _'Seriously? WTF is wrong with my head?!'_ Sasuke was starting to get annoyed. Then he remembered what he read last night.

 _"Method 1, Sign 2: Notice how often you think of him._

 _This is another easy way to tell if you have a crush on him. Why would you spend a lot of time thinking about a guy if he wasn't special to you? If you find yourself thinking about the guy every few hours, or just wondering what the guy is up to all the time, then you probably have a crush on him."_

Sasuke laughed. _'No way. No freaking way. This is probably just the recency effect or something. It's because of this research and everything. It's all good.'_ Sasuke convinced himself. To avoid thinking of that boy, he focused on the ground and started walking to school faster.

As he was nearing his school, he heard something that immediately made him wince. "Good mooorning, Sasuke-kuuun~!" Sakura and Ino said in chorus. "Ugh, what are you doing here? He doesn't want to see your ugly face, Ino! You're ruining his day!" Sakura shouted. "What do you mean _I'm_ ruining his day? I'm not the one blinding him with an oily forehead this early in the morning!" Ino snapped back. The girls started fighting as usual and Sasuke just ignored them and walked faster. "Hey Sasuke!" Sasuke stopped walking so fast he almost tripped. He turned to where the voice came from. It was Naruto. "Good morning Sasuke! How are you feeling today? Better than yesterday?" Naruto smiled his signature smile. "Hn." Sasuke couldn't say anything. His stomach was too busy flipping. _'That damned stomach.'_ "Are you sure? Maybe you have a fever or something?" Naruto came close and stuck one of his hands on Sasuke's forehead, and the other one on his own. Sasuke just stood there, frozen. "Seems like you're fine, but you look pretty pale to me. Are you really okay?" Naruto looked at him with those big, blue eyes. Sasuke slapped his hand away. "Yes, I'm fine!" Sasuke glared at him, though it wasn't very convincing because of the very light shade of pink that tinted his cheeks. It wasn't prominent enough for people to notice though. Uchihas never blush. Naruto was about to ask Sasuke some more, just to annoy the raven-haired boy, but he was tackled by one of his friends, Kiba. "Hey wassup man! You're pretty early today! Whatcha doin' here with the pretty ice prince?" Kiba asked Naruto. Naruto laughed and Sasuke felt his stomach drop to the ground. "Mind your own business, dog-breath." Sasuke glared at Kiba and walked away. "Hey, what did you just say to me?!" Kiba retorted. Naruto stopped laughing and just looked at Sasuke's retreating figure. "Hey, do you think he's okay?" Naruto asked Kiba. "Yeah, don't worry about him. He's always been like that. For as long as I can remember, anyway. He thinks being an Uchiha makes him too cool for the rest of us." Kiba shrugged. They changed their topics and made their way to the school gate as well.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was furious. His heart was beating very loudly, and he felt like he left his stomach back there with his two classmates. He was annoyed at everything and glared at everyone. The other students just froze when they saw him, and scurried on their way, trying to avoid incurring the wrath of the very pissed off Uchiha. As if to make matters worse, he remembered again what he read last night.

 _"Method 2: Notice What You Feel_

 _Sign 2: Notice if you're nervous. If you have a crush on the guy, then you won't feel completely comfortable around him. Instead, you would feel nervous because you're worried about what he thinks about you and don't want to say the wrong thing. If you're nervous, it means you care what he thinks about you, and if you care what he thinks about you, then - you guessed it - you have a crush."_

 _'No. NO! This is not happening. Ugh. I am having a migraine.'_ Sasuke just made his way to his seat and pretended to sleep. That way, he could avoid everyone around him being annoying. Most of all, he had to avoid that blonde seat mate of his that started all of this. As if on cue, Naruto entered the classroom. Sasuke knew that because he could hear the blonde's voice all the way to the back. He could hear him laughing with his other friends. Sasuke's stomach decided that it was back again, and flipped. Naruto made his way over to his seat, "Hey Sasu- oh. He's sleeping." It was soft but Sasuke was close enough to hear him. Even though he wanted to look up and talk to the blonde boy, he forced himself to keep his head down and pretend to sleep.

Out of nowhere, the girls from yesterday walked towards Naruto. They were so loud, Sasuke could hear everything they said. "Oh Naruto-kun! Thanks again for yesterday! You're so kind!" One of the girls giggled. "And cool!" Another one added. "Plus you treated all of us to that delicious cake." Another one dreamily added. _'Those annoying bitches. Don't they have anything better to do?!'_ Sasuke mentally snarled at them. "Oh, it was no problem, girls! The cake was simply thanks for showing me around." Sasuke could almost hear Naruto smile. The girls' squeals confirmed it. Suddenly, his chest seemed to feel a lot tighter. What was this feeling?

 _"Method 2, Sign 3: Notice how you feel about the guy being with other girls._

 _If you have a crush, then it's natural for you to not want the guy you like to be dating, talking about, or maybe even hanging out with other girls. If the thought of the guy just hanging out with other girls makes you feel squeamish, then you definitely have a crush. Just try not to make this a problem in the future or you may be facing some jealousy issues."_

Jealous? _He_ was jealous?! _'Fuck no! Oh God. This has got to stop.'_ Just then their teacher came in and started class. Sasuke decided to focus on his classes and not think about the blonde anymore. Even when he caught himself daydreaming about the boy, or looking in his seat mate's direction, he'd just stop and go back to his notes. He'd shut off his brain when it started drifting to thoughts of Naruto and soon enough, it was already lunch time.

"Hey Sasuke, wanna have lunch with us again?" Naruto caught his attention. "No thanks, dobe." Sasuke answered coldly. He wasn't really able to concentrate on his classes much, and his migraine from this morning didn't go away thanks to that blonde distraction. "What did you call me, teme?" Naruto answered back. "You've barely said two words to me and now you're calling me 'dobe'? You're pretty full of yourself, aren't you?" Naruto added. Sasuke felt a stab in his chest. "That's because you're so loud and annoying." Sasuke masked his pain perfectly. "Why you-!" Naruto started to retaliate when Sasuke just stood up and left him.

Sasuke didn't go to the cafeteria. He went to the faculty room to tell Kakashi that he wasn't feeling well, and that he'd like to excuse himself from classes for the rest of the day. The white-haired teacher was so surprised at the raven boy that he just nodded his head. Sasuke excused himself and went to get his stuff from the classroom while nobody was there. He started to make his way home. Sasuke's head was spinning. His chest felt tight, and he left his stomach somewhere again. He reached his house, immediately went to his room, and turned his laptop on. He took a second look at the website he visited last night. As he re-read it, his heart fell to the floor.

 _"Method 3: Notice What You Do_

 _Sign 1:Notice what you say. The things you say to the guy, or even the things you talk about when you're not around the guy, can be a big indication of whether or not you have a crush on the guy. Here's how to know if the things you say mean that you have a serious crush:_

 _If you find yourself always teasing the guy. If you always end up poking fun at the guy without meaning to, it means you have a crush._ _If you talk really fast or stutter when you say anything to the guy, it means you have a crush."_

He closed his laptop, fell on his bed, and groaned.

Sasuke thought to himself and closed his eyes.

 _'This CANNOT be happening.'_

* * *

A/N: Chapter 2 done! By the way, I really did do what Sasuke did (just for "accuracy" purposes, yeah that's it. Hahahaha) So I guess I have to site that? So it's really wikihow page entitled "3 Ways to Know if You Have a Crush on a Guy." Don't believe me? Try googling it. (just in case you wanted to see the other signs. *wink wink*)


	3. Chapter 3: Dreams and Realizations

Hi guys! So, it's chapter 3! I had a lot of fun writing this, so I hope you guys have just as much fun reading it! Again, please review! I would really appreciate it since this is my first story. Thank you! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fan ** _fiction_**.

* * *

It was a regular day in high school. Uchiha Sasuke went to his class and made his way to his seat at the back, near the window. He was going to continue reading his book and ignored the usual, annoying noise his class made. As he started to put his stuff on the desk, a small note fell out.

 _'Meet me at lunch on the rooftop._

 _N.'_

 _'Rooftop? N? Who could that be? Oh God I hope it's not one of those confessions again_ _.'_ Sasuke sighed. It had been a while since someone confessed to him, because apparently the girls just reached a consensus that no one would confess to Sasuke so that it would be fair. He used to get at least 2 confessions, _everyday_ , for about a month _straight_. Even though he rejected all of them, he didn't have the heart to stand the poor girls up. He was cold, but he wasn't straight up heartless. Eventually the girls got the hint and decided that no one in the school was worthy of the Uchiha. Thus, Sasuke's relatively peaceful (operative word: relatively. Unfortunately the cat fights about him were still pretty abundant, as was depicted by Ino and Sakura every damn time he saw them) days had begun. But now, there was a note again, and he had to go even if he didn't want to. _'Oh well, maybe it's not a confession. Might as well see.'_

Lunch time came and Sasuke made his way to the rooftop. As he opened the door, he saw a boy waiting near the rails. It was a blonde boy. Then the boy turned around in slow motion and in a very movie-esque fashion there was a sudden gust of wind. Sasuke could hear his own heart beating very loudly and his stomach was tied in knots. Naruto looked and smiled at him. Sasuke's heart beat faster, as he walked closer to the blonde boy.

"Hey, Sasuke." Naruto smiled. "Hey." Sasuke answered albeit a little stiffly. "I guess you saw my note, huh?" The blonde boy chuckled softly. "Yeah.." Sasuke answered, a little bit softer this time. "Yeah, about that. I wanted to tell you something. In private." Sasuke's heart beat a lot faster and louder, if that was even possible. "What is it?" He nervously asked.

"I like you."

...

Sasuke woke up from his dream with a cold sweat. His head was reeling. He was sweating so much and panting that he looked as if he had just run a marathon. He couldn't hear his own thoughts over his very loud heartbeat. _'Calm down, Sasuke. It was just a dream. Calm yourself!'_ His breath started becoming even as he collected his thoughts. _'It was just a dream.'_ Sasuke breathed a sigh of relief. He laid back down on his bed, realizing that he had sat up in shock. He looked up at the dark ceiling and continued trying to calm himself. _'What the hell was that dream?'_ He recalled those three words that he heard, but stopped himself before his heart started beating like crazy again. He looked at his bedside clock. It read 2:30. _'2:30? Ugh this is too early. I've got to get back to sleep unless I want to go to school looking like hell tomorrow-er later.'_ He closed his eyes and forced himself back to sleep.

That Morning

"Good morning, little brother. You look absolutely wonderful this morning. Had a good night's sleep?" Itachi chuckled at seeing his little brother. If what he meant by "absolutely wonderful" meant ruffled hair, dark circles under his eyes, and an angry glare from the little Uchiha, then yes. Sasuke looked absolutely wonderful. "Hngh." Sasuke grunted past him, got a piece of toast, and left the house sulkily. Itachi chuckled again. It was nice seeing his little brother out of sorts. It reminded him of when they were children and Sasuke still clung to him as an older brother. The raven sighed. _'Now he has a crush of his own. They grow up too fast.'_ Itachi shook his head like a parent reminiscing memories of his children and went on with his day.

Meanwhile, the other Uchiha walked to school slowly. He glared at everything in his way. The sun was too bright, the birds were too noisy, everywhere around him was too _happy_. He still looked like absolute shit. Hell, he felt like it too. Despite his very best efforts, he could not sleep another wink after his 2am adventure. The dream kept playing again and again in his head. By 6am, he had just given up and when he looked at the mirror, he already looked like hell. _'So much for sleeping again. Can this day end already?_ _'_ Sasuke sighed as he continued walking to school.

Another reason why he couldn't go back to sleep was that he had been thinking. What was that dream about? Why did he have that dream? Why was Naruto in that dream? Most of all, what would he have done in the dream if he hadn't woken up?

 _'Does this really mean I like him?'_

He started going about this logically. _'Okay. If I believed what I read in the article the other night, it means I really do-'_ he gulped _'like Naruto.'_ He exhaled as he processed his thoughts. _'I really have to find out for myself before I drive myself crazy. I mean, I already left school early yesterday.'_ Sasuke stopped. _'Fuck! I actually_ skipped _the afternoon lessons because of all this? How irresponsible can I get? Fuck this shit.'_ He exhaled again, and continued walking to school, this time with a little bit more determination in his step.

 _'I have GOT to get my shit together.'_

Sasuke entered the school gates as usual. He saw the Ino and Sakura greet him, as usual, and fight over him, as usual. Being in his very irritable state, he found all of this very, very annoying. He glared at everyone he came across. Everyone else just scurried away, cursing the being that made Sasuke this annoyed this early in the morning for two days straight.

Sasuke went to his desk, slumped all of his things on the floor beside his seat, put his head down on the table, and tried to sleep. It was still pretty early, and he had about half an hour before the bell rang. He was able to snooze for about fifteen minutes when he heard someone calling his name. "-suke. Sasuke!" The voice got louder and clearer each time. "What?!" Sasuke's head shot up and glared at the direction the voice was coming from. Naruto scratched his head and smiled at him. "Oh so you really were sleeping, huh?" Naruto chuckled. "What else could I have been doing?!" Sasuke continued to glare. If any other person was on the receiving end of his glare, they would have either melted or stood frozen on the spot. For some reason though, Naruto was unaffected. "Aww man! Don't be mad! I thought you passed out or something! You didn't come back after lunch yesterday and I thought you might've been sick. So seeing you this early with your head down made me draw conclusions." Naruto laughed. _'Was he worried about me?'_ Sasuke's heart skip a beat. "Hn." The raven just answered and put his head down again on the table. He felt something poke him on the side of his head. "How are you feeling?" Naruto inquired. "Fine, if only your finger would stop poking me." Sasuke answered. Naruto didn't relent. "Come onnnn talk to me, Sasuke! I was left without a seat mate yesterday, you know! I was bored!" Naruto faked a sniffle. _'Did he miss me?'_ Sasuke shook his head. _'You're acting like a little schoolgirl in love, Sasuke.'_ He lifted his head and looked at the blonde boy. "Missed me much, dobe?" He smirked. "Of course, teme! I had no one to talk to! And wipe that smirk off your face. You know you missed me too." Naruto winked. Sasuke couldn't stop his blood rushing to his cheeks. He quickly looked at the window to hide his blush. "Whatever, dobe." He said, a trace of a smile on his lips.

 _'Okay Sasuke. Calm yourself. You can get through this day.'_ As Iruka came in and started his lessons, Sasuke got his notes and started listening and jotting things down.

After a few more classes, it was already lunch time.

"Yo, wassup Naruto! D'you try that game I was telling you about yesterday? It was dope!" Kiba walked to Naruto. "Not yet, Kiba. Do you have it? I'll borrow it some time!" Naruto answered, then turned to Sasuke. "Hey Sasuke, come have lunch with us." The blonde boy smiled his signature smile. "What the fuck, man? Why you gotta bring Sasuke with us?" Kiba whispered, even though Sasuke could hear him loud and clear. "Nah, man. It's okay. Sasuke's cool." Naruto just grinned at Kiba's incredulous look. "It's okay, I've to do some catching up for yesterday's lessons anyway." Sasuke answered him blankly. "With what? You don't have anything to go on. Tell you what, I'll give you my notes, then we can all go have lunch together, all right?" Again, he showed his signature smile to Sasuke. _'He does have a point. I don't really have anything to go on. Yeah that's it. It has nothing to do with his brilliant smile.'_ "Who said I wanted your notes? For all I know, they might just be chicken scratch." Sasuke smirked. "Hey, don't you insult my writing! I'll have you know, I have one of the nicest handwriting in my last school!" Naruto got his notes and threw them at Sasuke, who caught them without missing a beat. Sasuke opened them. _'In fairness, he does have nice handwriting. And pretty okay notes, too. Is this a smart kid or something?'_ "Hn. They're not as nice as mine, but this'll do." Sasuke smirked again. "You bet your ass it will! Now wipe that smirk off your face and let's get some lunch!" Naruto punched his fist in the air to prove his triumph over the Uchiha's stubborn attitude. "All right! Whoo!" Kiba hollered. "Hey Naruto, thanks for this." Sasuke mumbled. Naruto looked back at him and smiled his genuine smile. "No problem, teme."

"What's this? Why do you have the Uchiha with you?" Neji, one of their friends, asked as the trio neared the table. "It's cool man, he's with me." Naruto said coolly. Neji just hmph-ed and went on with his lunch. Ino and Sakura squealed at the sight of Sasuke and immediately started arguing on where he should sit. Sasuke took a look at the people in this table, because the last time he was here, he didn't pay attention to anyone but Naruto. Apart from the people he knew which was Naruto, Kiba, Ino, and Sakura, there was also Neji, a boy from another class who was smart and also quite cold; Shikamaru, from yet another class who was a genius but very lazy; and Hinata, from Shikamaru's class, a shy girl who was also Neji's cousin.

"Here, Sasuke. Sit next to me." Naruto said with a toothy grin. Sasuke obliged and took the seat next to him, which was also beside Shikamaru and thankfully away from the two hotheaded girls. Suddenly, a girl from a different table approached Naruto. Sasuke recognized her as one of the girls Naruto went out with on his first day. "H-hi, Na-Naruto-k-kun." The girl was blushing. "Hey, what's up?" Naruto smiled. "I-I actually.. really really l-like y-you. Would you g-go out w-with m-me?" The girl was beet red now. Kiba heard the confession, and wolf-whistled. "Would you look at that? Only on his third day and already he has someone confessing feelings for him! Naruto, you stud!" Kiba was laughing. Naruto ignored him and turned to the girl fully. "I'm sorry, but I can't go out with you. I already like someone else. Not to mention, I also don't swing that way. Sorry!" He smiled apologetically. Everyone around the table, including the girl, just stayed there with their mouths open in shock. "I-I'm s-s-sorry!" The girl squealed before rushing off to a different direction. Naruto looked at the faces of his friends and laughed nervously. "Surprise..?"

Kiba was the first one to recover. "So, you like dicks huh?" Naruto punched him in the arm. "Ow! Hahaha I'm just messing with you man! It's all cool." Kiba grinned. Everyone else nodded and Naruto beamed at them. "Well that went differently than I thought. At least I didn't have to do the whole in-the-closet-for-a-long-time-then-comes-out-dramatically kind of thing." Naruto chuckled. "Aww man! I would've preferred that though. All right everyone, let's pretend we didn't hear anything and let our Naruto-kun do his thing! Ow! I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Kiba finished as Naruto punched him in the arm again. Everyone started chatting as if nothing had happened.

Sasuke was, for the lack of a better word, stupefied. _'Naruto was GAY? Does that mean I actually have a chance with him? Wait am I gay?'_ Sasuke had had experiments before with some "internet materials" and he was sure he wasn't gay. Then again, he wasn't sure he was straight either, because of his lack of response to women. _'Hold on. Naruto said that he already had someone he liked.'_ Sasuke felt a stabbing pain in his chest. _'Who could it be? Wait no, it's none of my business.'_ He was going to think some more when he heard his name being called. "Hey Sasuke, you all right? Your knuckles are turning white." Naruto asked him. The raven didn't notice that he'd been clenching his fist around his fork, thus cutting off the blood flow there and turning his knuckles white. He let go immediately. "Yeah, I'm fine." Sasuke mumbled. Naruto was about to ask him some more when Kiba said something.

"Hey Naruto. You said that you had someone you liked." Kiba grinned mischievously. "Yeah, I did." The blonde boy answered calmly, rolling his eyes as if he already knew what the brown-haired boy was going to say next. "Who is it?" Kiba's grin grew wider. "I'm not telling." Naruto said while sticking his tongue out. "Aww come on! I thought we were supposed to be best friends!" Kiba whined and faked a sniffle. Unbeknownst to himself, Sasuke's grip on his fork returned. He couldn't stop listening to the conversation. "We are," Naruto resigned, "but I'm not telling you who I like because you're going to tease him and me and I'm not going to let you do that." Naruto stuck out his tongue again. "All right, all right. Just answer me three yes-or-no questions then. After that, I'll let it go, I promise." Kiba said with a grin. Naruto sighed, thinking that this was probably the best deal he could get out of the said best friend. "All right. Shoot." "Is he in our batch?" Kiba asked. Sasuke's heart was beating quickly. "Yes." Naruto answered with a straight face. "Is he handsome?" Kiba asked his second question. Sasuke's stomach flipped. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Of course." A few moments passed and Sasuke could hear nothing aside from the loud beating of his heart. "Is it me?" Kiba asked with, presumably, the most handsome and seductive face he could put on. Sasuke's world stopped. Naruto burst out laughing. "Hell no!" Kiba burst out laughing too. "You didn't have to deny it that much! You hurt my feelings!" The brown haired boy was banging his fist on the table in laughter. "Yeah, right!" Naruto said, wiping the tears of joy from his eyes.

Sasuke thought he almost had a heart attack. _'Oh my God. This has never happened to me before.'_ He relaxed his grip on his fork and started eating his lunch. Afternoon classes passed by quickly and soon enough, the final bell rang. Sasuke was staying on his seat with his chin resting on his hand when Naruto talked to him. "Sasuke? Are you okay?" The blonde boy asked. "Hm? Oh, yeah." Sasuke answered, then started fixing his things. "You seem a bit... distracted?" Naruto continued. "Just a little tired. I'll be going home now. Bye." The raven answered and started to leave. "Oh, okay. Bye, Sasuke! See you tomorrow!" Naruto flashed him a big smile before the Uchiha turned around and left the classroom. The truth is, Naruto was correct. Sasuke was distracted, ever since lunch. He might as well have not attended the afternoon classes because all throughout, only one thought occupied Sasuke's mind.

 _'I really do like Naruto.'_


	4. Chapter 4: Bond of Brothers

A/N: Apologizing in advance because the first part of this chapter is really just heartbreaking. I had to type it in parts (which explains why it took longer for me to update. My heart couldn't take it okay) because it was painful to write. But alas, it is needed in the later (possibly in the next chapter) part of the story so on with it! Also, this chapter is quite short because I only wanted it to be a bit of a backstory for Sasuke. It also sort of explains why he's so against having feelings for someone, regardless of the gender. *heart breaks a little* But my heart grows bigger in size for every follow/favorite. I wonder how big it'll get when I finally hear from you guys. Much love!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fan ** _fiction_**.

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 _'I really do like Naruto.'_

Sasuke slumped on his bed. He buried his face on his pillow for a minute and when he could no longer breathe, he came up for air. He did this for a few times before his head started pounding. He had a self-induced migraine. But really, that was the least of his problems. The whole afternoon, during and after all of his classes, even on his way home, he had only one thought. It should be weird how a mere five words could occupy a guy's brain for longer than five hours.

When he began to think again of those five words, his chest started to tighten. There was something there, gripping his heart, making it hard for him to breathe. He couldn't quite place what it was. Was it anger? No. Sadness? Not really. Disappointment? At what? No, it was none of these. Was it... fear? Sasuke's heart thumped louder. _'I have nothing to fear.'_ Sasuke told himself as he covered his eyes with his arm.

...

Sasuke was playing in their garden. He was about five years old. Then, seeing his mother come out the backdoor, he ran to her. With her gentle voice, she said to him, _"My dearest Sasuke. I love you so much. I will never leave you."_ Sasuke could see his mother smile at him. It was his favorite smile in the whole world. It was full of warmth, and made him feel very much loved. _"Do you promise that, mother?"_ Sasuke asked earnestly. _"Of course, my dear."_ His mother smiled again, and hugged him. He relished the feeling of her arms enfolding him. It was the safest place in the world.

Then, the scene changed. It was to a year later. His parents had a dinner party to go to; it was for his father's work. "Sasuke, look after the house, okay? Dinner's in the fridge, just heat it up. Eat together with your brother. We'll be back before midnight. Love you!" Sasuke's mom kissed Sasuke on the forehead. "But moooom, do you really have to go?" Little Sasuke whined. "Yes, dear. You know it's for your father's work. Don't worry, we'll be back so soon you won't even notice we left." His mom winked at him. Sasuke slumped his shoulders and hung his head low. He really didn't want them to leave; it was movie night, after all. "Just watch a movie with your brother, okay? We're sorry to miss movie night but we'll make it up to you next time." Sasuke's mother hugged him tightly and the little boy snuggled up to his mom. He loved her hugs. "Itachi, look after your brother, okay? No fighting. Have dinner together, and watch a movie. It's Sasuke's choice tonight." Their mother said to Itachi and winked at Sasuke at the last part. "Love you both!" She kissed Itachi on the cheek and made her way to the door. "Bye Mom! Bye Dad! Love yooou!" The little boy waved at the car from their door. It started to rain a bit, but the Sasuke wasn't worried much as he contemplated on what movie he'll choose to watch with 'Tachi.

Little Sasuke woke up to the blaring police sirens outside their house. It was very dark outside, and thunder was clapping. He got a little scared. "'Tachi?" He looked for his older brother. The older raven was at their door, looking sullen. He was talking to a policeman. "'Tachi, what's going on?" The little boy rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. When his older brother turned around, he saw that there were tears coming down Itachi's face. Itachi walked to him and hugged him tight. "Sasuke, Mom and Dad aren't coming home tonight." He said in a low, shaking voice. "Huh? What do you mean? Are they going to be late?" Sasuke asked curiously, not understanding what his older brother said. Itachi shook his head and hugged him tighter. Sasuke noticed that his brother was trembling, and his hands were cold.

After that night, everything was a blur. The funeral, the court meetings, the relatives- everything. All he could here were the words his brother repeated to him, "It's going to be okay, Sasuke. I'll take care of you now."

Their parents had died in an accident that rainy night. They never made it to that dinner, never made it back home, and never got to watch that movie with little Sasuke.

...

Sasuke woke up to the wet tears streaming down his face. He'd dreamt of his parents. _'Why now? It's been years since I last dreamt of them.'_ The tears just kept on running down his cheeks. His heart hurt. A lot. During the course of his everyday life, he'd forgotten this pain. He had been quite young when it happened, but the pain stayed with him for years. True, Itachi had been there to care for him every step of the way, practically raising him. But the pain of losing their parents took a toll on Sasuke's heart.

"Little brother?" Itachi knocked, then opened the door. Seeing Sasuke's face, the older raven's face changed to a look of worry. "What's wrong?" Itachi sat down on the bed beside Sasuke. "It-It's nothing." Sasuke wiped his tears away. "It's not nothing. What happened?" Itachi asked, frowning. "I dreamt of Mom and Dad." Sasuke answered softly, his voice turning into a whisper. Itachi gasped slightly, and his expression softened. He hugged his little brother. "You know that whatever's going on in your life, you can tell me about it, right?" He told Sasuke, hugging the boy tighter. The little not-so-little Uchiha nodded. "But I won't force it out of you. If you need time and space for yourself, I'll give it to you. Just know that I'll always be here, ready to listen. Okay, Sasuke?" Itachi continued. Again, Sasuke nodded. He knows that Itachi loved to tease him but when it really matters, his older brother is always there for him, no matter what. He hugged Itachi back and smiled a small smile. "Thanks, 'Tachi." Itachi chuckled softly. "You know you haven't called me that since you were still small? Ever since you started growing up you've been calling me 'Itachi' and it's so not cute." The older brother pouted. Sasuke laughed out loud, for the first time in a long time. Itachi just laughed with him. "Now, what were you going to tell me before you went into my room without really my permission?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow at his older brother. "I was going to wake you up for dinner. I made your favorite: tomato soup." Itachi smiled softly at his brother. Sasuke returned the smile, and started to get up. "All right then. Let's go have dinner together, as we promised Mom."

The Next Day

Sasuke woke up and got out of bed as usual. He felt a small sting in his eyes. He looked at a mirror and saw that they were a bit swollen. _'Probably because of that dream last night.'_ Sasuke sighed and went for the kitchen. _'It'll probably go back to normal if I put some ice on it.'_ After doing that and waiting a couple of minutes, the swell subsided. Luckily, his brother was still asleep, so he had the kitchen all to himself. _'Hmm. Maybe I should make breakfast for a change.'_ Sasuke thought to himself. It was still early anyways; he had time to waste before he needed to get ready for school.

The smell of something burning woke Itachi up. He rushed out of his room, immediately and simultaneously looking for Sasuke and the source of the burning smell. He found both in the kitchen. The look of worry in his face was quickly replaced by a look of amusement. He saw his little brother looking at something black- toast, probably- with his face all scrunched up. "There are other ways to wake me up, you know." Itachi chuckled, announcing his presence. His little brother looked up, surprise and something else on his face. Was it embarrassment? "What in the world are you doing, little brother?" Itachi walked to Sasuke. Sasuke murmured something along the lines of "trying to make breakfast" or something. The older Uchiha chuckled again. "Oh Sasuke. You know despite your good looks and perfect grades, you're not really much use in the kitchen." Sasuke just blushed further at his brother's comment. "I-I was just trying to d-do something nice for you. But if you don't want it then fine, y-you stupid big brother." Sasuke was as red as a tomato now. Itachi chuckled again and smiled at Sasuke. "After all this time, why did you decide to do that now?" The older asked, curiosity clear on his face. "It's because you've always done it for years. I wanted to do something for you for a change." Sasuke answered softly, looking at the ground. He didn't expect to really burn the stuff. He thought making breakfast was easy. "Thank you, Sasuke." The younger Uchiha looked up to see his brother smiling lovingly at him. He couldn't help smiling himself. "Now go and get ready for school before you become late. I'll handle things er, here." The older added. Not needing to be told twice, Sasuke got ready for school.

When he got down again, breakfast was ready, properly. He got some toast, thanked his brother for the food, and went on his way to school. Despite the early morning breakfast fiasco, he was feeling quite good today.

Due to his realization yesterday, he had more or less come to terms with his feelings for Naruto. After last night's dinner with his brother, he went back to his room to think some more and clear his head.

He knew now what the feeling he had was after realizing that he liked the blonde boy. It was fear. The pain that he felt when he lost his parents was similar to the pain that he felt during some instances when he was near Naruto. The pain of being left. He feared that if he let his feelings for Naruto grow, there was a greater chance for him to feel that pain again. Heck, even now, when he was still denying those feelings, he felt that pain whenever he would start to get weird.

Naruto broke the front that he had built from his parents' death. The front that let him act stoically and feel nothing (aside from the usual feelings of annoyance). It was the front that distanced himself from making connections with other people. The front that protected him from that terrible pain.

In the three days that he had met Naruto, the blonde classmate changed him far greater than either of them had known. But the question is, is that where these feelings were headed? Back to that painful place? Could he go through that pain all over again?

Was Naruto worth it?

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A/N: So yeah, there's no appearance of any other characters here aside from the Uchihas. But at least now you know why Sasuke acts like that. Not to mention you got to see his softer side too. Not the usual cold bastard. The next chapter would definitely be lighter than this chapter! Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Basketball and Feelings

A/N: OMG! Last chapter guys! This one's a bit longer than the rest, 'cause I felt like the story was being dragged on for too long, so I ended it here. This is my first story so I apologize for any mistakes! Thank you for reading it this far! Much love to all of you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto in any way. This IS fan ** _fiction_**.

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As Sasuke entered the school gates, announcements about the upcoming basketball tryouts were all he could hear.

 _"Basketball tryouts today at 4:30! See you there!"_

 _"Love playing hoops? Come tryout later and see if you make the varsity team!"_

 _"Support your friends as they tryout for the school's team!"_

He ignored all of this, and entered his classroom. The same buzz filled his class.

 _"Oh my God, is HE trying out later? We have to go watch him!"_

 _"I don't know man, do you think I'll make it this year?"_

Sasuke went to his seat and pulled out his book. He didn't really care for sports. He was pretty okay skills-wise, but it bore him easily. He started reading. Not too long after, he heard a loud voice enter the classroom. "MWAHAHAHA! THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE! Ow!" The brown-haired boy added when he was shoved out of the doorframe and into the classroom. "What the hell man?!" Kiba shouted to the boy who pushed him. "You were blocking the door, Kiba. Also, what the hell are you yelling about this early in the morning?" Naruto answered. Kiba's face had the look of pure confidence. He smirked at Naruto's puzzled expression. "Today is the day of the basketball tryouts!" He answered, looking at Naruto as if it's the most obvious thing in the world. The puzzled expression on the blonde's face didn't go away. Kiba continued, "I'm going to be on the varsity team and I'm finally going to get all of the chicks!" His face looked like he was in heaven. "Oh, so that's it?" Naruto chuckled. "What do you mean, 'that's it'?! Think of all the girls, man! The fan clubs and the groupies and everything!" Kiba looked at him incredulously, and then something clicked in his head. "Just 'cause you're into dicks instead of chicks doesn't mean I have to swing that way too, you know." Kiba said proudly, and jumped out of the way of Naruto's fist. "Easy, man! I'm just kidding!" He told Naruto. The blonde just stuck out his tongue at Kiba and went to his seat.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto beamed at the raven. "Hn." Sasuke answered. "Jeez, what's got you in such a bad mood this early?" Sasuke looked at Naruto, then at Kiba, who was shouting again in the middle of some of their classmates, and looked at Naruto again. Naruto understood. "Oh come on, Sasuke. Lighten up! You have to at least be used to the noise by now." The blonde laughed. "Especially if we're going to be together for a whole year." Naruto winked at him. Sasuke just rolled his eyes at Naruto, not showing that his heart skipped a beat at his seat mate's comment.

"Are you trying out for the basketball team later?" Naruto asked. "No." Came the short reply from Sasuke. Naruto pouted. "Why nottt?" "Because he's a coward and he doesn't think he'll make the team!" Kiba butted in, followed by his evil cackling. Again, Sasuke just rolled his eyes. At his bestfriend's comment, Naruto smirked at Sasuke. "Oh, really?" Sasuke just turned to him with a look on his face saying "are you really going with what this idiot said?" or something like that. Naruto ignored him. "So the famous Uchiha Sasuke actually can't play any basketball. I've gotta say, that's pretty disappointing." "I bet it's still better than you'll ever be." Sasuke's competitive nature got the better of him. "Oh yeah? Why don't you show me how it's done? That's if you can." Naruto provoked the raven even more. Sasuke just gritted his teeth. The tension between the two was building. "Fine. Tryouts. Later. You better be there, dobe." Naruto broke into a wide grin. "You bet! Let's go together?" The blonde said, completely dissipating the earlier tension.

Realizing that he'd played right into Naruto's hands, Sasuke groaned. He went back to his book. Seeing as he couldn't concentrate anyways, he just looked out the window. _'Basketball, huh? Maybe this'll be fun.'_ Sasuke let out a small smile. The truth is, he wasn't just "pretty okay" in sports. He was good. More than good- he excelled. It didn't matter what sport it was- basketball, baseball, swimming, tennis- name it, he can do it. That's why he got bored easily. There wasn't any challenge. So he'd stopped playing. But now, now Naruto had done it. Sasuke hadn't played in a while, but he knows he can do it. The raven was many things, and competitive was definitely at the top of the list. He'd never back out of a challenge. Not to mention, a little showing off to his crush wasn't all too bad.

The classes went by pretty quickly, and soon enough the day was over, and it was time for the tryouts.

As Sasuke was fixing his things, Naruto came up to him. "Hey teme, you're not backing out now, are you?" The blonde challenged the raven. Sasuke smirked. "Hn. Of course not. Are you ready to lose, dobe? It's not too late to back out, you know. It would be a pity to lose face in front of all of your fans." "It wouldn't be as bad as YOU losing in front of all of YOUR fans. Think of their faces as they realize the man of their dreams was beaten by me. They might give up on you altogether." Naruto laughed. "Now I'm actually considering losing on purpose, just to get those girls off my back." Sasuke deadpanned. "Nah, I'd still wanna see your face as you realize you've lost." He continued. Naruto was about to retaliate with another comment, but Sasuke cut him off. "Now come on, dobe. We don't wanna be late." They picked up their things, and headed to the gym.

A bunch of girls screaming greeted the two as they entered the gym. They walked to the benches, where all the other guys were waiting for the tryout to start. "Wow. Is it always this loud for just the tryouts?" Naruto asked Sasuke, as he covered one of his ears. The screaming got louder as they neared the bleachers. "I don't know, probably?" Sasuke just shrugged. "JEEZ, it's because of you guys!" Kiba butted in their conversation. Both Naruto and Sasuke looked at him quizzically. "Apparently, some girls from our class heard your conversation this morning and spread the news all over the school. All of the girls were thrilled because this is the first time the Uchiha was going to play any sport here in school. Practically all of the girls came." Kiba glared at the raven. "But it's okay! At least now all of the chicks here in our school is going to see all of my awesome skills!" The brown-haired boy recovered quickly and started flexing his muscles. Sasuke rolled his eyes at him and continued walking to the benches. Naruto followed.

Both the boys could feel all the eyes on them, mostly on Sasuke. The girls wanted to be with him, and the guys wanted to be him, or beat him. He just ignored all of the stares but one, he looked at Naruto puzzlingly. "What?" He asked. "Why are all of these people just STARING at you?" The blonde boy asked. Sasuke just shrugged. "Is it ALWAYS like this? Aren't you ever bothered?" Naruto continued. Sasuke just stared at him as if to say, "Do you even have to ask?" and rolled his eyes. Their conversation was cut when they heard a whistle being blown off. It was game time.

...

Sasuke's eyes stung as sweat rolled off of his eyebrows. The tryouts had been, in a word, intense. It started out pretty normally- drills, shooting, dribbling- but the tension rose when the practice game started. They were going to be evaluated here. All the guys were split into two teams and incidentally, Naruto and Sasuke were on opposite teams. They were to play normally, and the first team to reach 21 points, with at least a two-point margin, won. It was perfect for their challenge. Sasuke thought it was going to be easy. He immediately became the captain. Some of his teammates had heard of his skills, and so they respected him. Others, not so much, so they were still skeptical. Their doubts had been erased when Sasuke started explaining their tactics. His plan was efficient, simple, and it made use of everyone's skill. They began to see their easy victory. That was, until the game started. It wasn't going to be easy after all.

The whistle was blown, indicating that the game had been over. Cheers and screams erupted from the stands, as if they had just won the championship game. Based on the game they had seen, it very well may have been a championship game. Both teams competed very hard, and pushed each other to the limits. Both captains, Sasuke and Naruto, had been exceptional. They shot, dribbled, passed, and shot some more. Sasuke's team was the first to reach 21 points, but since they only had a one-point lead, they had to keep playing. And it took such a long time because as soon as Naruto's team would score, the Sasuke's would score back, making the one-point gap impossible to widen. That was until Sasuke made an incredible three-point shoot, therefore ending the practice game after an hour and a half of non-stop playing.

As soon as the whistle was blown, Sasuke's team jumped for joy. They had won. It was definitely not an easy victory, but that had made it all the more worth it. Naruto's team looked deflated, but still fulfilled. They had played at their best game today, and it was because of Naruto. There was probably no one more tired than the two captains. Their mini-challenge was to see who scored more points, and that was aside from winning the game itself. Again, they were neck and neck until the raven shot the last three points. Sasuke had never played this intensely before. He was planning to take it easy, but when he saw Naruto's spirit, and skill, he himself was involuntarily made to play his best game. Naruto could say the same about Sasuke. Although a little bit pissed off at the fact that he lost, he still had a lot of respect for Sasuke. The raven had earned it.

Needless to say, both Sasuke and Naruto got in the team. They had earned the respect of the coaches, their teammates, and everyone in the stands. They were going to have one hell of a team once the season started.

"Hey Sasuke! Wanna hangout later?" Naruto panted as he caught up to the raven who was headed for the lockers. Sasuke's heart skip a beat but he kept his cool. "Sure." Sasuke smiled at Naruto. The blonde just stood there in shock. He had never seen his seat mate smile before. He blushed a bit and said, "All right then. I'll see you by the school gates!" before rushing off and leaving Sasuke. The raven stood there for quite a while wondering what had happened, but shrugged it off and decided to take a shower.

Sasuke was quite nervous as he neared the school gates. He was going to hangout with Naruto. Alone. With Naruto. Alone. What the hell was he gonna do? _'Calm down, Sasuke. It's just hanging out. It's normal. Friends do that all the time.'_ He mentally scolded himself. As soon as he saw the blonde, he swore his heart stopped beating. Naruto was standing by the school gates, and appeared to be listening to some music on his phone. He looked like a god, because his whole body was covered in the setting sun's golden-orange glow. His hair was ruffled slightly as a small gust of wind blew. He turned and as soon as he noticed Sasuke standing there, he smiled. And by God it was the prettiest smile Sasuke had seen in his life. He forced himself to let go of the breath he didn't notice he was holding and walked towards Naruto. It seems his heart had remembered to beat again.

"Hey, loser." Sasuke said to Naruto. _'Smooth, Sasuke. He's REALLY going to like you now.'_ Sasuke mentally punched himself. Naruto just pouted. "Well, hello to you too, teme." Naruto pouted. Sasuke had to count to three in his head to keep from hugging the blonde. He was too cute. "What are we gonna do? Stand here all day?" Sasuke said impatiently. "Jeez, we're going to hangout! Haven't you ever done that before?" Naruto poked fun at the raven boy. "N-not really." The blonde's eyes widened in surprise. Sasuke just blushed a tiny bit. "Look, genius. If you haven't noticed, I don't usually have groupies hanging around me all the time, do I?" Sasuke bit back. "Well, you kinda do. Not that you notice them." Naruto smiled at Sasuke. The raven glared at him. "All right then! Since you're a noob at this friendship thing- which, you should be ashamed of, honestly- we shall go to the park and hangout there!" Naruto declared. Sasuke was going to retort at Naruto's offhand comment, but decided against it. He just walked alongside Naruto to the nearby park.

"Hey Sasuke," The blonde started. "Hn?" "Tell me something about yourself." Naruto said softly. "What is this, a college interview?" Sasuke raised his eyebrow at Naruto. The blonde just blushed. "O-Of course not! I just thought that y-you know, since you're new to this kind of thing, it'd be best for us t-to get to know each o-other." Naruto blushed profusely. Sasuke noticed this and smirked. Was he making the blonde embarrassed? _'This would be fun.'_ "What would you want to know about me, then?" Sasuke said, slowly. "A-Anything! Um, what's your favorite color?" Naruto stuttered. "Black. Or dark blue." Sasuke shrugged. "Hmph. Typical. You're so boring." Naruto teased. "Mine is orange." The blonde grinned. "Tell you what, anything I'll ask you, I have to answer myself. So that you'll get to know me too." He continued. "Hn. What made you think I wanted to get to know you?" Sasuke smirked. "Teme! Well if you didn't, then you wouldn't be here talking to me, now would you?" Naruto winked at him. Sasuke just shrugged again. They continued like this- joking and talking as if they'd known forever- until they reached the park.

"Why do people hate you?" Naruto asked suddenly. "Excuse me?" Sasuke was quite surprised at the question, and didn't know how to answer. "I mean, I get that you're a jerk," Naruto laughed as Sasuke glared at him, "but I don't think that merits you not having any friends. I mean, don't you have a lot of fans too?" The blonde looked at Sasuke, genuine curiosity on his face. "I don't like other people too much." Sasuke answered quite simply. "What do you _mean_ you don't like _people_?" Naruto looked at the raven incredulously. Sasuke dropped his gaze to the ground. He didn't know how to answer that without going too personal. Was he going to tell Naruto everything?

For some reason, he had found Naruto very easy to get along with. Regardless of the fact that he had liked the blonde boy since day one, he found his new classmate fun to be around. Naruto was lively, friendly, warm, and genuine. Sasuke's complete opposite. Not to mention he invoked feelings that the raven was completely new to. Naruto was probably the only person he could stand being with for hours without being annoyed. Well he would be annoyed a little, but Naruto being Naruto made up for that completely. "Sasuke?" At the sound of his name, Sasuke looked up to Naruto.

"Are you okay? You suddenly became quiet." Naruto asked, looking at Sasuke with those big, blue eyes full of concern. "Just thinking." Sasuke answered. "About what?" Asked the blonde, concern turning into curiosity. "About how to answer your question, dobe." Sasuke smiled at him. Naruto blushed again, only slightly. "Let's just say, I don't like a lot of people, because they bring a lot of unnecessary stuff." Sasuke answered, being as vague as possible. Naruto just looked at him as if to say, "go on." "Stuff like drama, problems, sadness, and pain. And I don't really like to concern myself with that. So it's better if I'm by myself. Plus, regarding those fans, they're just really annoying. They just keep ogling me. It's kinda creepy, honestly." Sasuke finished.

Naruto sat in silence as he looked as if he was trying to process everything that Sasuke just said. "But don't you have those kinds of things too? Sadness? Pain?" Naruto asked. "I do. But if I'm on my own, then I don't have to drag anyone down because of it." Sasuke answered honestly. Naruto smiled sweetly. "But that's the point. With friends, you're not bringing them down. True friends are there to help you up." Sasuke didn't know what to say, so he just sat there quietly.

"What about me?" Naruto asked. Sasuke's stomach flipped but he kept his composure. "What about you?" He returned the question to the blonde. "Why'd you talk to me? Hangout with me?" There was a short pause. "Choose me?" Naruto finished. Sasuke was surprised to see Naruto's expression. It was an expression of embarrassment, with a little bit of hesitation. The blonde was also blushing at his own choice of words.

"I don't know, actually. There's just something about you. Ever since the first day.." Sasuke trailed off. This was it. It was now or never. Was he really going to tell Naruto about his feelings? Silence filled the air for a few minutes. "Naruto, I have to tell you something." Sasuke said quietly. He was pretty sure his heart was beating a lot faster than it should, but he ignored it. This was the moment. If he didn't do it now, he would never be able to do it ever. "W-What is it?" Naruto asked, voice also quiet.

Sasuke gulped, looked Naruto in the eyes, and said, "I like you, Naruto."

 _'One...'_

 _'Two...'_

 _'Three...'_

 _'Oh God this is taking so long. Reject me already, Naruto! So I can deal with this and be done with it!'_ Sasuke was preparing himself for the rejection. He had closed his eyes and braced himself for a punch or any violent reaction, but even after counting to three, there was none. He opened his eyes. What he saw nearly stopped his heart. Naruto was looking at him with a shocked expression. Both hands over his mouth, eyes wide, and blushing. Yes, he was blushing until the tip of his ears. For the first time, Naruto was speechless.

"Well?" Sasuke forced himself to talk. The silence was driving him crazy. "Well what?!" Naruto answered a bit loudly. "You can at least answer! Don't worry, I'm prepared to be rejected. I'll also allow you one punch but anything more than that and I can't guarantee that I won't hit back." The raven blabbered. _'Nice going, Sasuke!'_ The raven mentally slapped himself. "Can't a guy get some time to recover when his crush tells him that he likes him back?!" Naruto's sudden answer surprised Sasuke. _'What did he say?'_ Sasuke did a double-take. "What did you say, Naruto?" The blonde blushed even more at the sound of his name. "I said I have a crush on you too! Jeez, you totally ruined the moment, teme!" Sasuke couldn't believe what he had heard. Naruto? Likes him? Back?

"Can you repeat that?" Sasuke asked, doubting his own ears. "I said I liked you too, you big idiot." Naruto smiled his heart-melting smile, while blushing a couple of shades red. Sasuke's heart exploded like fireworks. He moved closer to the blonde. "You better not be messing with me, dobe." He sounded serious. "You mean YOU better not be messing with ME, teme." Naruto smiled and pulled Sasuke into a hug. There were no words to describe what Sasuke was feeling. He hugged Naruto back. _'He smells like sunshine. Typical.'_ Sasuke snorted to himself and hugged Naruto closer.

"So, does this mean we're going out now?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke smiled fully for the first time and looked at Naruto lovingly. "Yeah, definitely."

And just like that, Sasuke's life was completely flipped.

* * *

A/N: Aaaand it's done! I was thinking of writing a short epilogue but I'm not yet really sure. Let me know if you want to know what happened to these two! Reviews/follows/favorites are very much appreciated. And again, thank you for reading! Hugs!


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